Hello Lovelies! I don't know about anyone else, but the site is being really glitchy for me lately, so I was having some trouble getting this to post. I hope you all enjoy! Happy Reading!

Chapter 14 – Not Ready To Make Nice

The king watched as they advanced on the castle at an alarming rate. For a rag-tag army, Regina's forces were something to be reckoned with. They covered the distance between the forest and the palace faster than he thought was humanly possible. He watched as his wife and daughter rode at the front of the group headed straight for the palace gates at a full on run.

From his window he couldn't see that the queen was using her magic to make her army seem more impressive than it actually was. She was speeding up their advances and had used a glamor spell to hide the fact that they didn't look battle ready at all. She was hoping that it wouldn't come to an actual fight, but everyone around her was gearing up for one as they rode.

"Regina!" She heard him cry out and turned over her shoulder to see him pointing straight ahead of them to where the gates of the castle were opening. She raised a hand to slow the entire party as the King and his soldiers came into view. They were still out of earshot of those waiting so she gave Robin a quick nod and he called out to her army. "Ready to arms! Prepare to fight!"

Regina turned to Snow, she could see the fear in the little girl's eyes, but to her surprise the young princess turned to her aunt, who was riding on her other side and nodded. Regina gasped when a bow and quiver appeared in her hands. The princess dropped her reins and strung the quiver over her shoulder. Riding only with her legs she notched and arrow and prepared for battle as well.

"Snow…"

She met her mother's eyes and though the fear still showed in them, her determination burned even brighter. "I will listen to you Mother, I promised you that, but I will fight next to you if you let me." Her green eyes came up to meet her mother's chocolate ones, and in that moment she saw the purple streaks flashing through them again. "You're ready Mom. We all are. Let's do this!"

Regina nodded and summoned her magic into her right hand, continuing to hold on to her horse with her left. "Alright," she magically amplified her voice so that everyone behind her, and all of Leopold's forces in front of her would hear, "Leopold!" She saw the king look up at the sound of her voice, but she kept talking. "We are returning to the palace of our own free will, but you should know that we will not be doing so under your control. You have been the controlling force in our marriage for far too long, and I won't be subjected to it any longer. Nor will I force our daughter to be." She paused as they rode a little closer so that the King could see that Snow was riding flush with her mother, and they were both harboring their weapon of choice.

"As you can see my dear, we are willing to take this kingdom from you by force if that is what it takes, but I truly don't want it to come to that. No one else needs to get hurt because of you and I." She halted her horse an arrows distance from the palace walls and raised a hand to halt those advancing behind her. "What do you say my dear? Can we settle this peacefully, or must I take your crown by force?"

The king looked furious, he was turning red and she could see that he was yelling at the herald riding beside him. When the horn blasted she knew she had no choice in the matter, and with a flash of her hand her forces raced around her to attack.

Over the clamor of the fight her voice could be heard, still magically amplified as she marched through her forces, helping wherever she could. "If anyone within the palace chooses to side with the Princess Snow White and myself they are free to do so. We only ask that you turn and fight with us now!" To her surprise a good number of the King's White Knights turned and pointed their swords in the direction that they had just come from. Choosing the strong, bright Queen over the brooding and dark King they had been serving since their return.

The battle raged on around them, but the small party of four that had led the army through the woods was advancing on the palace gates alone. They were headed straight for the King. When they got close enough to him all four of their black stallions came to a halt in a straight line. Two archers and two powerful sorceresses were too much for the King to take. He turned and rode back inside the palace walls.

They all started to advance, but the Queen rode ahead and turned her horse back to face the other three. "No, I go alone. Take care of each other. I will be back." She looked into Robin's eyes and smiled, "Believe in me?"

"Always…"

It took her awhile to find him. She hadn't lived in this palace, though it was technically her home. Finally she relied on her magic and she made her way to him. She found him on a balcony, overlooking the forest and the battle raging below them. When he heard her footsteps behind him he turned to face her and he was fuming.

"What in the hell are you playing at?" She didn't so much as blink at his anger. She simply stood there, waiting for him to go on. "You think that you can come in here and wage war on me with a band of peasants that you gathered along the way and you think you will win? What in the hell do you want Regina?"

"Safety Leopold! For me and for Snow! Do you even know what your daughter is doing at the moment?" She shot a hand out and watched as her magic settled over their daughter. Illuminating her so that her father could watch as she let an arrow fly from her bow towards on of the soldiers that had been advancing on Zelena from behind.

"She's fighting?" He turned from the scene before him and focused back on his wife. "Why are you allowing this? You know nothing of being a mother!"

"Oh really? I may be young Leopold, but I know more about being a parent to that child than you have ever bothered to learn! She loves you, but she will choose me dear! Because like it or not you made me her mother, and it is a job I take very seriously." She advanced on him, turning the tables on him for the first time in their marriage. "Do you know what happens when a mother sees her child in danger, and she has the power to stop the person responsible for that danger?" Her fingertips sparked with her magic, and she was close enough that he could see the purple sparks flying in her eyes.

The king had never seen this side of his pretty, obedient Queen, and he was sure that he didn't like it. He didn't know what to say to her, so he repeated his earlier question. "What do you want Regina?"

"I want you to disappear Leopold. I want this kingdom, and our daughter, and I want you out of my life for good."

Anger flashed in his eyes and he struck out faster than she could defend. His hand connected with her cheek, and there was a distinctive thud when her head hit the stone floor beneath their feet. He stood there for a few seconds, making sure that she didn't stir. "That, my darling, is never going to happen."

And with that he left her lying on the floor as he walked away to end the battle that was still raging below.

Cora was watching the battle take place from her cage. She kept replaying what had happened in Rumple's Dark Fortress in her mind. Why hadn't she blocked Regina's attempt at taking her down? Why hadn't she fought back? They more she thought about it, she realized that her daughter may have in fact, become more powerful than she.

"That would be me." Regina's words echoed in Cora's mind. She had shot magic out towards her and Cora had dodged it. She had moved out of the way, but Regina wasn't alone.

"Where do you think you are going Mother?" Zelena was closing in on her from the other side.

"I have a better question Mother," her focused switched back to her youngest, "Where is Father?"

Zelena stopped and looked at her curiously, "Yes Mother, I know what happened to everyone else in this curse, where is Daddy?"

Cora laughed, the same high, cold laugh that she had when she thought that she had won. "My dear girls think about it. What would my happy ending look like? It surely didn't contain your father."

"No!" Regina's cry nearly broke Zelena's heart, but she didn't deny their mother's words. She wouldn't put anything past the woman. Even killing her own husband, simply so she didn't have to deal with him. "How could you Mother?"

"I simply worked it into the curse that he would perish in transition. I had no more use for him. I had all the power that I wanted."

Regina's eyes had filled with her rage, and her magic was burning under her skin. Zelena moved closer to her, but Regina shook her head. "Stay where you are. She is coming with us, whether she wants to or not."

"Oh? How are you going to manage that my dear?"

"Magic Mother. Don't you remember, I believe someone once told you that one-day I would be more powerful than you ever were? Well, today is that day." Her hands shot out, and when Cora tried to move again Zelena's magic hit her from the other side. Her daughters were double teaming her while the outlaw just stood there and watched.

When she tried to move again she found she was trapped, and now here she was, a prisoner in her daughter's cage. Waiting to see if she was strong enough to take what she wanted. It may not have ended up the way that she had planned, but there was no doubting that Regina was fast becoming the strong Queen that Rumple had once predicted.

"My, my, my dearie. Whatever could you be thinking about so seriously?" Cora jumped at his voice, and turned to look up at the little man standing in front of her.

"Rumple? Where have you been?" Her tone was one of anger, but her eyes told a different story. "Can you get me out of here?"

"Can I?" He waved a hand and the door to her prison sprang free. "Now what do I get in return?"

"What do you want?"

His eyes glinted with a hint of mischief as he answered her. "You."

Her gasp was drowned out by the echoing of the king's battle horn calling an end to the battle that was taking place on the grounds.

"Come dearie, we have plans to make." And together they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Snow looked around when she heard the sound of the horn. Zelena came up beside her and soon Robin joined them. They were all looking around for their Queen. A tear escaped Snow's eye when she saw her father walking out of the palace, smiling. "Mom…" Her cry was muffled by Zelena's chest when she turned into her to cry.

"Where is Regina?" Robin stepped in front of the girls and drew an arrow. He pointed it directly at Leopold, and asked again. "Where is the Queen?"

"She seems to have changed her mind. You will all be joining us in the palace, and we will continue to rule as we always have. Nothing will change today."

Robin looked over his shoulder at Zelena, and the rest of their army gathering behind him. He could see in both princess's eyes that neither one of them believed the king. Something had happened to Regina. He was sure of it. With an almost imperceptible nod Zelena gave him the okay and he turned back to the king.

"Okay. Lead the way Your Majesty."

"Snow White." The girl looked up at her father from under her aunt's arm. "Come here child."

"Where is my mother?"

"She is inside. Come along."

"No." She stood her ground and faced off with her father. "You must make a promise first."

"Excuse me?"

"A promise. I want your word that everyone in Mother's army. Everyone standing here with me and behind me will be pardoned and welcomed in our kingdom." She looked at him hard. "No exceptions."

He looked back and forth between Snow and Robin, before finally sighing. "Okay my dear. Everyone shall receive a pardon. Now come along."

The girl nodded, but she didn't let go of Zelena. Instead the pair of them made their way to the King. When they reached him, without him even noticing Zelena's hand flicked out and the king fell. Not a single person stopped to check on him as the Queen's entire army rushed the gates. Their Queen was injured and they were going to find her.

They ran through the halls, everyone searching for Regina when Zelena used her magic to track her. She, Robin and Snow all arrived in the hall over looking the forest, where the Queen had fallen. As they made their way towards her her body was enveloped in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared she was no longer lying on the floor. Instead her body was cradled in Rumple's arms, and a flick of Cora's wrist was they last thing they saw before the blood red smoke enveloped them again.

"Mom!"